Low Fertility and Contraceptive Sterilization: The Canadian Case

Laurence Charton, Evelyne Lapierre-Adamcyk

Abstract

This article presents fertility variations among the Canadian regions and
analyses the paths leading to the choice of contraceptive sterilization.
Based on data from the 2001 General Social Survey, the research shows
that while every region has adopted a low fertility regime, substantial
differences are observed among women aged 40-49 in 2001: Quebec
couples had fewer children; among those in stable unions, Quebec
couples were also more likely to choose contraceptive sterilization, while
this was not the case among those couples where at least one of the
spouses was in a second union; moreover, couples in such unions were
less likely to have a common child in Québec than in other regions. In
the end, if regional differences in the choice of sterilization persist, they
are not large, and this choice is driven by fertility decisions everywhere.